Special kids kick it up on the soccer field in Yardley-Makefield

Tuesday

Joy Taylor wanted her daughter Egan to play for Yardley Makefield Soccer, just like her three older sisters had.

Egan played for a short time, but because of her behavior, the team’s coaches asked her not to return.

“Children with autism have behavioral problems,” said Taylor, a Yardley resident. “They have tantrums, use foul language, run away, and don’t follow direction. A child with autism is not an ideal attendee, but I was still hurt.”

So she went to John Healy, then a member of the YMS board, and asked if he would help her form a soccer league for kids like Egan. Healy got the go-ahead from the board, on the condition that he take charge of organizing the group.

That was four years ago. Now Egan is playing for a team that accepts who she is — a child with autism.

The first of what was dubbed the Special Stars kicked off with 10 members in 2011. On Sunday, 25 kids and many volunteers turned out at Edgewood Elementary School in Lower Makefield for a practice session, followed by a half-hour game.

Some of the kids set their own goals by staying on the periphery to kick around their own soccer balls, overseen by teen and adult volunteers. That’s fine, Taylor said.

Taylor said the games, scheduled for spring and fall seasons, make a difference in the players. Their behavior on the field, in school, and in other settings is calmer, thanks to the volunteers who shepherd them through the soccer action and set the example of sportsmanship.

Colin Fitzpatrick is 16 and a junior at Pennsbury High School. After several years of play for the team, he’s earned the rank of coach, which means he gets to play the game while encouraging his teammates, said his mother, Michele Fitzpatrick.

Before the league started, it was difficult to find a place for kids like Colin to have fun, but the league has made all the difference, Fitzpatrick said.

Volunteers are drawn from elementary and middle school levels. Emma Garry, 14, has been working with the kids on the Special Stars since its beginning. Her charges have a special meaning for her because she was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4.

She credits her big sister with helping her “outgrow” her diagnosis, said the eighth-grade student at William Penn Middle School.

“My sister was always close to me. She would hold my hand in public, and she would always make me laugh. Now I believe it’s my duty to help out here,” said Emma, whose goal is to study social anthropology.

Emily Johnson, 11, has been volunteering since she was in second grade. Now in sixth grade at Charles Boehm Middle School, she, like the other young coaches, attend and help at the games faithfully.

Emily joined the group because she had a classmate who was autistic and she loved helping her, she said.

“I see everyone here step up to the plate and they think of everyone as the same,” Emily said.

Tianlin Ma, who brings her son Raymone, 11, to all the games, said the sport affords autistic children the opportunity to run and play, while keeping a routine — something autistic children need.

“They get to see the same faces and the same families, and have interaction with the middle school kids,” Ma said.

Healy said the program was modeled from a Special Stars League in Canada, and he stays in touch with that league so each can follow progress and exchange ideas. The current season will run on Sundays through June.

For information on the league, visit www.ymsspecialstars.com.

Correspondent Elizabeth Fisher can be reached through editor Jackie Massott at 215-949-4185 or jmassott@calkins.com.

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